National Parks are being invaded by Technology

Sitting beside the cobalt-blue water of a mountain lake more than 7,000 feet above sea level, Lisa Miller had her eyes on her mobile phone, sending vacation pictures to her daughter. 

The 53-year-old retired nurse's husband, meanwhile, wanted no part of tapping into the area's recently added cellular access, choosing to take in Yellowstone Lake's splendor without disruption from gadgets.

"With the cellphone, you keep doing the same things you do in your busy life," which distracts from seeing the sights in the park, said Chris Miller, a 52-year-old software executive from Bend, Ore. "I'm here to see it and remember it." 

The Millers' different views on mixing technology and nature underscore the competing interests the National Park Service faces as it debates how to expand mobile-phone and wireless Internet service within park grounds.

Park managers across the country are devising ways to use wireless technology to engage park-goers—from coded signs they can scan with their cellphones to access online information about park features to text messages with weather and traffic information. Park officials say enhancing wireless access is one way to connect with visitors increasingly attached to their electronic devices. 

But as park officials go digital, they are struggling with how to keep those tools—and the cell towers and other equipment they require—from interfering with visitors' enjoyment of nature.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

I know I'm probably in the minority here but for me, there's nothing worse than a beautiful mountain view with a cellular tower or wind turbine in it. And now to find these eye sores in National Parks, is a little much.

If people can't tear themselves away from their Iphones, Ipads, and laptops long enough to enjoy nature without their gizmos, maybe they need to see a shrink...now that's just me.

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